CD Review: Brandon Lee Adams – Hardest Kind of Memories
by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International
- Roberts Ride
- Docks Of Sutters Bay
- Sweat Of Your Brow
- Slap Shot
- I Long For Seventeen (With Tony Rice)
- Misery 101
- Already Home
- Road To Columbus
- Hardest Kind Of Memories
- Up Where The Cold Wind Blows
- Where I Can Lay My Burden Down
Brandon Lee Adams from Charlestown, West Virginia learned to play the guitar at the tender age of 8, when his grandfather handed him a “Martin” guitar. After the chords were in place, he got busy with Tony Rice’s album “Church Street Blues”; which was formative for his musical career.
At 16, his skills were enough to take part in a guitar competition, which he saw as the starting point for his career. After high school, military service and college followed, and his special guitar style found an ever larger audience.
He traveled to Canada and Ireland, temporarily joined a bluegrass band and released his debut album “Hardest Kind Of Memories” in 2008, 9 songs of which he wrote all 9. He was recognized as a “New Country Artist” for both the album and the title track.
His music is at the juncture between singer-songwriter, bluegrass, Americana and folk. What is immediately noticeable when listening is his style of “flat picking” is that he works the guitar at breathtaking speed.
You can particularly enjoy this with the instrumental pieces, such as the furious prelude “Roberts Ride”, where guitar and fiddle seem to try to outdo each other in terms of tempo, or “Slap Shot”. In “Road to Columbus” too, the violin is used as a contrast and complement to the guitar.
Although the fast and virtuoso guitar playing dominates this album, you can also relax with quieter tracks like “I Long For Seventeen”, “Already Home” or the “Docks of Sutter’s Bay”, which begins with the wonderful sound of the sea.
The catchy and pleasant title song “Hardest Kind Of Memories” is recommended as a first tip. Brandon Lee Adams’ mastery of the guitar with his flat picking style make him an artist to listen to.